You Can Leave Your Hat On
by starsettte
Summary: When Ace heard about dancers named "The White beard Pirates," at a local bar, he laughed until his stomach hurt. A little while after the show started, a certain blonde haired male stepped on the stage - throwing Ace completely off guard. Damn, he was hot. Stripper!Marco AU. NOW REVISED


_Hello everyone! Thanks so much for the follows and favourites - welcome! My updates may be delayed because I am in school now, but I will write as much as I can! This is a new version of the story -_ _I changed it up a bit - so this story will now be longer and much more detailed than the original one! Hope you like it !_

 _Side note: Prompts are welcomed!_

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Ace tapped his foot impatiently as he watched two underage teenagers attempt to persuade a bouncer to let them into the club. As the brawny man shook his head and stubbornly blocked the entrance, Ace watched in amusement as the two girls slumped their shoulders in defeat and walked past the crowd.

"Ooh, touchy," Bonney whistled as the line began to move forward again. Ace rolled his eyes as the pink haired female gave him a playful shove. "Oh, come on now Mr. Grumps," she mocked, feigning a pout. "You just graduated from University, the least you can do is smile a little."

As they flashed their ID cards at the bouncer, Bonney pulled Ace's arm as she pushed open the aluminum doors.

Ace allowed himself to be pulled as artificial fog surrounded the club, the electronic music shaking the tables as a crowd of people danced in the centre. As Bonney shoved him into a stool, she leaned towards the barista and ordered drinks while Ace scanned the crowd.

He really shouldn't be here.

Hell, he didn't _deserve_ to be here.

How can he tell his best friend, someone who he's known for years, that he ended up failing his final test? To actually graduate, he'll have to wait until fall to redo the entire course.

Fuck.

Why was he such a screw up? And how is he supposed to tell Luffy and Sabo? They were counting on him, dammit. Even with the three of them put together with jobs, they just can't afford money for more schooling.

The truth is, it wasn't even Ace's fault that he failed. If his narcolepsy didn't kick in when it did, this wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Ace clenched his fists as he glared at the speakers.

"Hey, Ace?" Bonney asked, her brow knitted with worry. "Are you alright? You've been spacing off for a bit."

Ace forced a smile as he took his drink from her hand. "Yeah, I'm just a little tired, it was a long day." As his eyes locked on his drink, Bonney's eyes narrowed.

"Are you kidding me?" she groaned, hands over her eyes. "Do you really think you're doing a good job at hiding whatever this is from me? Because you're not Ace, and even you know that. So stop being a moron and just tell me already!" she snapped.

Ace slammed his hands on the table, mouth going into a snarl.

"Nothing's wrong!" he shot back. "Just, leave it alone, Bonney!"

"Like hell I will!" Ace gasped with surprise as Bonny grabbed his collar and hurled him towards the hallway, heading towards the bathrooms. Choosing one at random, she shoved Ace in and slammed the door, locking it angrily.

As the two glared at each other in silence, Bonney finally gave in, and slumped against the door.

"Ace," she said softly. "I promise that whatever this is, I'll help you get through it. You're my best friend, and I love you like a brother." Bonney's eyes locked on Ace's. "Let it out. I promise nothing bad is going to happen and we've already been through the worst of it." As she looked at him in understanding, Ace's resolve crumbled as he uncharacteristically burst into tears.

"I failed my final, Bonney."

Bonney's eyes widened as Ace continued to sob. "I- I fucked up. I didn't tell them that I had narcolepsy and since I was so nervous for the test, I didn't get enough sleep last night so -"

Bonney had her arms wrapped around Ace in an instant as she guided his head into the crook of her neck, rubbing his back like a small child. As his sobs became louder, Bonney hugged Ace tighter as she continued to comfort him.

"I'll lend you the money."

Ace's head immediately left Bonney's neck as he looked at her in shock. "No, no, no, no. Bonney, there is no way in hell that I'm letting you -"

"Oh just shut up. I'm not doing this just for you, but for the three of you." As Ace began to tremble in relief, Bonney brought him back into a hug. "Ace, you need this. I know you'll pay me back, so don't worry about it, okay? You're my best friend. I promised you when we were kids that I would help you get through anything and this is no different."

Before Ace could respond, there was a loud knock on the door, and they separated immediately.

"Marco?" a muffled voice asked. "Showtime starts in 20 minutes, I swear to god, you better be in here." As Bonney opened the door, she was met with a exasperated looking male.

"Oh..." he said with surprise. "I'm sorry! I thought Marco was in here." As the stranger peered past Bonney, his eyes fell on Ace, who silently gaped at him.

Whoever this was, this had to be the prettiest man Ace has ever seen. The strangers eyes, which were a dark brown, was intensified by gold eye shadow and eyeliner, his long lashes darkened with mascara. His dark brown hair was curled to frame his face, and he was wearing a black jumpsuit that left little to the imagination.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he inquired.

Bonney let out a chuckle as Ace gave a lopsided grin.

"Nah," she laughed. "We just had to talk some things out." As she smiled at the man, he nodded in understanding.

"Welllll," he drawled dramatically as he wiggled his eyebrows. "If you aren't planning on leaving anytime soon, there's a show that's starting in about 10 minutes, if you're interested that is."

"Show?" Ace asked, confused.

The man gave a mock gasp as he pressed both hands against his heart dramatically. "Has the DJ not introduced us yet?!"

As Bonney looked at him strangely, he shook his head and thrust his hand out.

"The name's Izo, dear, and I'm a dancer for the White Beard Pirates."


End file.
